stranger

1 of 3

noun

strang·​er ˈstrān-jər 

1

: one who is strange: such as

a(1)

: foreigner

(2)

: a resident alien

b

: one in the house of another as a guest, visitor, or intruder

c

: a person or thing that is unknown or with whom one is unacquainted

d

: one who does not belong to or is kept from the activities of a group

e

: one not privy or party to an act, contract, or title : one that interferes without right

2

: one ignorant of or unacquainted with someone or something

stranger

2 of 3

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a stranger : foreign

stranger

3 of 3

verb

strangered; strangering; strangers

transitive verb

obsolete

: estrange, alienate

Synonyms

Noun

• foreigner
• alien

Examples of stranger in a Sentence

Noun

Children are taught not to talk to strangers.

He is a complete stranger to me.

“Excuse me. Do you know where the library is?” “I'm sorry. I'm a stranger here myself.”

I'm a stranger to the area.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As Hay might say, Atlas was a stranger who turned out to be good to meet. —Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2025

Hilarious Theories Go Viral The bewildering encounter quickly went viral, prompting fellow Redditors to offer their own humorous theories for the stranger's behavior. —Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025

Adjective

One of the stranger conspiracies to emerge from the absurd, infuriating intervening years is the insistence by some that, owing to shadowy weather-manipulating entities, the sky has changed for the worse. —Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2025

Now, in The Carpool Detectives, Hogan shows readers how much stranger fact can be than fiction. —Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 29 July 2025

Verb

Bashan and 25 other people, all initially strangers with different backgrounds and professions, spent time in 12 different countries and grew to be friends. —Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 23 July 2025

Two funeral processions, one before and one after the service, also will give friends and strangers an opportunity to pay their respects. —Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English straunger, straungier "foreigner, alien, unfamiliar person, outsider," borrowed from Anglo-French estranger, estraunger "outsider, foreigner, unfamiliar person" (as adjective) "not related by blood, foreign" (also continental Middle French estrangier), from estrange "foreign, strange entry 1" + -er, -ier -er entry 2

Adjective

from attributive use of stranger entry 1

Verb

derivative of stranger entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1606, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stranger

• no stranger to

Rhymes for stranger

• changer
• danger
• manger
• ranger
• arranger
• endanger
• exchanger

Kids Definition

stranger

noun

strang·​er

ˈstrān-jər

1

: one who is strange

2

a

: foreigner

b

: guest sense 1, visitor

c

: a person with whom or a thing with which one is unacquainted

Legal Definition

stranger

noun

strang·​er

: someone who is not a party or in privity with a party (as to a contract or legal action)

may be enforced against a stranger to the contract